A Dangerous Lie

Sigh.

There is more breed specific legislation wending its way through the New Mexico State Legislature. It defines Rotties and Pits as dangerous. Having been around rottie and pitt therapy dogs, that's balderdash.

Yes, I am frustrated that this bill will make pitts and rotties pariahs in the state and frustrated that the many, many owners of good dogs are being penalized because of the few irresponsible ones.

Yes, I am frustrated that this bill is a death sentence for the endless supply of pitts and, to a lesser extent, rotties that end up in our shelter system.

Yes, I am frustrated because this bill will be utterly and wretchedly ineffective in reducing dog attacks or making the public safer.

Mostly, though, I am frightened. This bill promotes a dangerous lie. The lie is that it's the breed of the dog that's the problem. It isn't. It's the owner. To ban all of this breed or that breed and define them as "dangerous" implies the other breeds of dogs are "safe." They aren't. I know of chihuahuas who have bitten young children in the face. Repeatedly. If you investigate or if you work around dogs, you come across horror stories with all different kinds of breeds. There was a Golden Retiever who was stalking and pinning other dogs in the park. Do you remember the story of the woman in France who had the first face transplant? Her face was ripped off of her by her own dog while she was napping. The dog was a laborador. All dogs require training and awareness to be "safe" All dogs need to be watched around children. All dogs will chase you down and eat you if neglected and left to roam in packs. ALL DOGS ARE DANGEROUS.

Are there aggressive pitts? Yep. There are aggressive dogs of all breeds. However, I have been around a lot of pitt-types and staffies when I do flyball. It is a chaotic, exciting environment. Dogs bark and howl and do the bark-scream thing really really excited dogs do. There are all sorts of little teensy dogs and big dogs, male dogs and female dogs, and human children all over - some of them handling the dogs. If there were a magic "switch" that would cause a dog to turn, it would find it there. But, you know what? Staffies are one of the most popular breeds. They race in the same lanes with the poodles and toys and little dogs and big dogs and kids and people in all that excitement, and they don't "turn." Because there is no magic "switch" No black mass is said when a pitt puppy is born. The moon doesn't fall from the sky. They are just dogs. Just like all the other dogs. There is this myth out there that there is something different about pitt bulls because they were originally bred to fight. So were many, many other breeds - including the boston terrier.

But this stupid, stupid House Bill 667 promotes the ignorant, magical thinking lie that it's just this breed or that breed that's dangerous. It isn't the breed, it's the individual dogs. Any BSL promotes a dangerous, dangerous lie.